Improvement in letter-boxes



B. B. aUILEY.v Letter-Boxs.

N0. 144,976,- Patented Nov. 25,1873.

Witnesses. Y nnen 041.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN B. GUBLEY, QF lVIINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

. IMPROVEMENT IN LETTER-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,976, dated November 25, 1873; application filed April 26, 1873.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJ. B. GURLEY, of

Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and Bis intended to be locked with a combinationin the State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter- Box 5 and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this speciiication.

The nature oi' my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a letter-box to be attached to doors of dwellings or other buildings, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and vuse the same,I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which- Figure l is a transverse vertical section of my letter-box. Fig. 2 is a view of the box from the outside of the door, and Fig. 3 is a view of a mechanism for operating an indicator or signal attached to the box.

My letter-box is made in two halves, A and B, the former attached on the outside and the latter on the inside of the door C, said door, as it were, forming a central vertical partition through the box. The outside part A has av door, D, for removing the letters placed therein,

'and at the upper end is an aperture, a, with lid, b, for dropping letters in. The inside box tB is provided with a similar door, D, aperture a', and lid b. Through the door` C is made an opening, d, and the door at the top and bottom of this opening is beveled, as shown'in Fig. 1. This beveled opening d is arranged in such a position, and the bevels at such an angle, that when a letter is dropped through the outside opening a it will pass through the opening d Ainto the inside box B, and when dropped through the inside aperture a the letter will go into the outside box A. On the outside of the door C, Within the box A, and in suitable bearings, is placed a horizontal shaft, E, provided with two cranks, c and f, and on the outer end of this shaft, alongside of the box A, is attached a signal or indicator, G. On

the door C is further attached a spring, 71.,`

which bears against the crank c, and the crank f is, by a rod, m, connected with the lid b', covering the inside aperture a. The outside door lock, which obviates the necessity of the lettercarriers carrying separate keys for each box. These boxes are to be made ot' castiron, strong, durable, andwater-tight, with a panel, H, on the front or outside box A, for the name of the occupant, and also space for the number of the house. On the inside of the door D is an arm, n, which, when the door is locked, presses against the lower end of the spring h. The outside door D is to be locked While the signal G is down. When the cover b to the inside opening a is raised, so as to admit mail matter to the outside box, the signal will rise to a perpendicular position by the rod m turning the shaft E in its bearings till the cranks ef on the same are turned upward. The signal will remain in this position by the arm n holding the spring h against the crank e, no

matter how many times the lid b may be opened and shut in the meantime, until the outside door D is opened, when the signal falls again, to rest until more mail matter is dropped from the inside.

Having thus fully described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The two boxes A and B, having letteropenings, combined with the door C, with its single opening df, as and for the purposes set iorth.

shaft E, and indicator G, connected and operated as and for the purpose set forth.

3. rIhe lid D, arm n, and spring h, in combination with the crank E, as and for the purpose set fort-h.

4. The combination, with a door, C, of an outer and inner letter-box, A B, having letteropenings and doors D D', and an inner lid, b, operating an exterior lindicator, G, all sub stantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of March, 1873.

B. B. GURLEY. Witnesses C. L. Evnntr, JAMES GHALMERs.

2. The lid b of the inner box, rod m, crank 

